as in to frighten
to strike with fear
that foolish woman would be scarified by a mouse
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Recent Examples of scarify
Some will confine their mess to pixels, but surely others will scarify the walls and stain the floors.
—
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021
And some on the platform feel free enough to verbally poke a pop star or scarify Spotify.
—Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021
And some on the platform feel free enough to verbally poke a pop star or scarify Spotify.
—Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarify
Verb
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May 9, 2024 Gary Usher, a songwriter who worked with Landy, told state investigators that Wilson was a virtual captive, manipulated by a man who frightened and intimidated him.—
Steve Marble,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
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Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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However, the stories about Porter from Cleveland and Houston may scare enough other teams that Milwaukee can keep him at that price. 7.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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That is because high costs are still scaring off buyers, who are also delaying purchasing a home because of growing economic uncertainty.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Every manager, then, wanted a guy on his bench who was there for one reason only: to grab a bat, terrify the closer and obliterate a baseball.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Diana Lopez, a lifelong Santa Ana resident and a psychologist in the Santa Ana Unified School District, said students in her care are terrified.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Part of what startled Fitzgerald’s generation about their studio experience was how near at hand the real bad guys could be.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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The late morning blast rattled homes and startled the desert city just before 11 local time, The Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scarify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarify. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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